Not chickening out Mambo’s show ZAAPA’s Manandi the middle finger
Chicken Mambo balances their Ngaapinde Hake Akomana advert with a Pfee one
By Melusi Mlotshwa
HARARE – Mambo’s Chicken, a fast-food chain in Zimbabwe has drawn the ire of Barry Manandi, president of Zimbabwe Association of Accredited Practitioners in Advertising, with their tongue-in-cheek advertising of their brand. The ZAAPA boss branded Mambo’s advertising “sexualised”.
In a dizzying pile of moral contradictions, Manandi, fumed, threatening Mambo’s with unsavoury consequences if they didn’t tone down their advertising.
“We urge that you and your marketing team stop this practice forthwith and use wit and satire to promote your brand rather than this base, crass innuendo (sic) you have been using,” he fumed in his letter addressed to Mambo’s Chicken.
“We hope to hear from you, or at the very least, see change, as our mandated role of protecting the integrity of our profession will be executed without flinching,” he warned.
The offending advert said: “Kana akutengera Mambo’s Chicken ngaapinde hake amana (vakomana)”.
Many Zimbabweans, however, have said what seemed to have irked Manandi was the reference “Ngaapinde Hake”, a hashtag that has been trending online campaigning for the MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa.
And, refusing to chicken out, Mambo’s showed Manandi the middle finger yesterday by posting another cheeky advert: “Mambo’s Chicken Pfee! Very Mnandi!”, in direct reference to ZAAPA boss’ political leanings, who is seen in one picture posted online, shaking the hand of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, as both men had their necks draped in colourful Rastafarian scarfs – the Zanu PF leader’s version of sartorial elegance.
They argued, if Manandi was about protecting the integrity of the advertising industry, he should have done so a long time ago as other fast-food chains have flighted ads that were worse than the Mambo’s one.
After posting several adverts by other fast-food firms that are full of sexual innuendo, Gift Murapa tweeted: “Tell Barry Manandi to write several letters or just edit the one he has.”
To which Wellence Mujuru replied, “Give me one advert where Mambo’s Chicken mentioned sex ? Or it was their interpretation . . . they need to repent!”
Another Twitter user, Munetsi Munatsi, referring to the ongoing fight between estranged wife of Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, Marry, and the coup general, weighed in, “In matters pertaining to women, Mary Chiwenga’s story needs more attention than Mambo’s Chicken adverts. In Zimbabwe, we tend to major on the trivial.”
TichRay, another Twitter user, was blunt: “There’s no sincerity whatsoever in that stupid letter to Mambo’s Chicken. This kind of bullying must never be tolerated.”
Team Pachedu put the icing on the cake. They posted a picture of a beaming Manandi, greeting Mnangagwa, with the caption, “Introducing Barry Manandi, the person who was threatening Mambo’s Chicken for #NgaapindeHake. Keep it up@mamboschicken!”
Zimbabwe Observer presents the full letter below:
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